This has been one of those weeks where it just feels long and busy. Work has been getting busy - we have a big event at the end of September, which is quickly approaching, and lots to do to get things ready. I'm also getting that end-of-summer feeling, where I don't want it to end and want to try to enjoy every single second possible so I can store up the feeling of warmth for the cooler temperatures. I know this is not how it works! But I can't help but hope for it, anyway. Tonight a few friends are coming over for a patio bonfire (assuming the rain holds off...) and it'll be a nice way to keep summer going a little bit longer.

This was an exciting week for me - I had the very cool opportunity to testify in front of Senator Casey about caregiving across the lifespan and the importance of paying personal care assistants a living wage! It was really empowering to share my story and my experiences, and really inspiring to hear the experiences shared by the other witnesses, too. It was definitely a day to remember, and made me feel so hopeful for the future.

Happy Friday! It's been a bit of a week around here - Lily went in to the vet to get some teeth pulled earlier this week, and it turned out they had to pull all of them. Poor pup! She's doing well and is pretty much back to normal, and I think this means a puppaccino is definitely in her future.

Happy Friday!! I am extremely excited to have a low-key summer weekend at home, where I can just sit on the patio and read and lounge. I've been doing a bad job lately at balancing work and rest - so I'm going to try hard this weekend to do a little reset and try to give my body a break. I'm not always great at balance, but I am at least getting better about recognizing my limits!

I'm really glad it's Friday - the week after a trip always feels a little hectic, like I'm trying to catch up on work and everything I missed, and get back into a somewhat-regular routine. I think I'm mostly back on track, and looking forward to feeling a little more settled over the weekend and next week. I don't have any more travel planned for the summer, so I'm excited to have July and August to just be here and enjoy!

Happy Friday of a long weekend! I was off both yesterday and today, so I'm keeping this intro short and sweet this week - I want to be spending as much time reading on my patio as possible! I hope you're all able to find some time to relax and recharge, too.

We have had a serious heat wave this week - I love summer, but we jumped immediately into 90 degree temperatures, and it's been an adjustment! I did get the chance to enjoy breakfast out on the patio on Wednesday morning with a book, and it was a really nice way to start the day. I'm hoping for some more outside time this weekend, too - but with a ton of sunscreen, a big patio umbrella, and a fan directly blowing on me.

Happy Friday! I'm writing this post from my patio, coffee in hand - my favorite place to be. We have had a few days of gorgeous weather, where it's really felt like summer, and I am so excited to have many more days of this ahead. This weekend should be a low-key one spent at home - I've been (relatively!) busy lately, at least in terms of what busy means for me, and I'm looking forward to having some time to relax.

What a week! We have a big deadline coming up at work, so I'm a little bit running on fumes this week, and going to keep this short and sweet. We've had some beautiful weather days, though, so I made sure to get outside for at least a little bit every day for some patio reading. I can honestly feel the stress melting away when I'm out there! Anyway, on to this week's favorites.